The Ideal Physical Network

How should you build a datacenter network? Martin Casado, CTO of networking at VMware, describes how he envisions the most functional physical network, using the model of a chassis switch and backplane.

How about using the approach that has stood the test of time in the consumer world? PCs are often more powerful than game consoles such as playstation or xbox, yet the consoles are often considerably more popular and have a better reputation.

Software developers like being able to develop for just one hardware device because it allows them optimize their code to a level that is not possible when developing for PCs which can have a large number of hardware variations.

Developing for just one hardware device also simplifies the debugging and troubleshooting process. One standardized hardware device also means that replacing a faulty one becomes more straight forward since the original specifications can be mached with the replacement unit.

I'd say that basic functionality, especially that which does not require frequent changes, should reside at the physical level. The other functinality which is referred to as intelligence should probably be kept at the edge level.

I'm watching with interest the debate that's happening about where "intelligence" should reside: the edge, on the switch (perhaps in conjunction with a controller), or some mishmash of the two. I expect we'll end up with the mishmash, but VMware and its products are clearly aligned with the edge, while Cisco is aligned with the switch. Now it's time for products and business models to duke it out.

Orhan, that's an excellent point, and I am hoping to get more cross-linking functionality in the site as we move forward. We can manually add links, and I try to do that as much as possible. When you post comments you can insert links as well, such as be sure to read my Edge is the Brain article, by clicking on the link icon in the editor toolbar.

You'll also notice that on the right side of the page there's a blue box with "Hot Topics," and your Edge article is the first one in that box. In that way, we're displaying content related to the topic on the page you're looking at.

Respondents are on a roll: 53% brought their private clouds from concept to production in less than one year, and 60% ­extend their clouds across multiple datacenters. But expertise is scarce, with 51% saying acquiring skilled employees is a roadblock.